Gilimanuk-Ketapang Closed March 28-30

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The ferry operations at Ketapang Port in East Java and Gilimanuk Port in Bali will be halted during the Nyepi Day celebration amidst the Eid al-Fitr period in 2025. PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) is striving to mitigate vehicle congestion prior to the suspension of ferry services from Friday (28/3/2025) to Sunday (30/3/2025).

PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) is giving special attention to crossings ahead of Nyepi Day on Saturday (29/3/2025). Special measures will be implemented at Ketapang Port, Banyuwangi, East Java, and Gilimanuk Port, Jembrana, Bali. This is because all activities in Bali will come to a halt during the Nyepi celebration.

Director of ASDP Indonesia Ferry, Heru Widodo, during a press conference on the preparations of state-owned enterprises (BUMN) in maritime transportation for Eid al-Fitr 2025 in Jakarta, Thursday (13/3/2025), stated that Ketapang Port will be closed starting Friday (28/3/2025) at 5:00 PM WIB until Sunday (30/3/2025) at 6:00 AM WIB.

The closure period of Gilimanuk Port begins on Saturday at 5:00 AM WITA and lasts until Sunday at 6:00 AM WITA. This measure is taken to accommodate the observance of Nyepi for 24 hours, starting Saturday at 6:00 AM local time.

The closing period for Gilimanuk Port starts from Saturday at 05.00 WITA to Sunday at 06.00 WITA.

"This is being done so that the community can celebrate their respective religious holidays in harmony and order. For the Hindu community, during Nyepi, there must be no activities at all, along with a series of events, including the ogoh-ogoh parade," said Heru.

Also present at the press conference were several leaders of state-owned enterprises in maritime transportation. They included the President Director of PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni), Tri Andayani, and the Managing Director of PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo), Putut Sri Muljanto.

In the previously submitted schedule, ASDP does not accept services for that period. The ticket buying and selling process is also not open. However, for people who have already purchased, a ticket refund will be implemented so that people can change their crossing schedule.

To mitigate vehicle congestion at the port, ASDP has coordinated with the police for enforcement measures. At a certain point before entering the port area, public vehicles will be stopped. Specific areas will be cleared.

"Ketapang is easier (to regulate) because we can stop immediately. Well, the problem in Gilimanuk, when Nyepi arrives, all activities will stop. That's why we took the policy at those times, everything must be clear," said Heru.

All crossings that occur in Gilimanuk and Ketapang must be completed by 05.00 local time. The hope is that when Nyepi begins, all activities can stop.

In general, Heru estimates the number of ASDP passengers during Lebaran 2025 will reach 4.6 million people. This number is up 10 percent compared to last year in the same period. This is linear with the growth in the number of vehicles which has accumulated to 1.1 million units.

Merak Port in Banten and Bakauheni Port in Lampung are the crossings with the highest proportion of up to 56 percent. Their positions are followed by the Ketapang-Gilimanuk crossing (29 percent), then Kayangan Port, East Nusa Tenggara-Pototano, West Nusa Tenggara (4 percent).

ASDP will implement a one-price or regular tariff policy on express crossing services. The policy applies at Merak Port starting Wednesday (3/26/2025) at 12.00 WIB until Sunday (3/30/2025) at 20.00 WIB or D-5 to D-1 of Eid.

Service users can enjoy a 36 percent discount on express ship fares. "During the single tariff period, express tickets at Merak Port are not available, and service users cannot choose which ship to use," Heru said.

Operational scenario arrangements will be made, especially the distribution of vehicles and pedestrians to all piers. For service users who have made express service reservations during the period, a refund will be in the form of the difference in ticket prices that have been paid.

Ferry tickets can now only be purchased online through the Ferizy application or website. Tickets can be ordered from D-60 to D-1 before departure. Travelers are also required to check-in according to the schedule to avoid congestion in the port area.

Free homecoming, Heru added, is provided jointly by BUMN and the Ministry of Transportation. The Ministry of BUMN provides free homecoming for passengers and two-wheeled vehicles with a quota of 1,050 units for nine routes. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transportation is distributing free tickets for 8,500 passengers on 31 routes.

When the weather is bad, the ship will not be dispatched. This depends on the provisions of the Harbor Master and Port Authority Office (KSOP) and the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

Putut reminded the public to continue to follow the periodic information published by BMKG. Information on extreme weather will also continue to be updated so that the public can adjust their travel schedules to the actual conditions in the field.

Moreover, the government policy implements a work from anywhere (WFA) system. This gives people more options to determine their travel time.

Other sea transportation is provided by Pelni and Pelindo. The lack of ships has prompted Pelni to apply for passenger capacity dispensation to the Ministry of Transportation. Meanwhile, Pelindo, which is closely related to logistics, will also implement government regulations regarding restrictions on heavy vehicles.

Andayani said, Pelni will deploy a total of 55 ships consisting of 25 passenger ships and 30 pioneer ships. All ships can carry 60,212 people, including capacity dispensation. The average dispensation of 55 ships is 152 percent.

The projection is that 644,102 tickets will be sold. The price of tickets during peak season is still the same as normal conditions because they receive a subsidy quota from the government of up to 70 percent per ticket.

"Ticket sales as of March 13, 2025, have reached 143,388 (tickets) or equivalent to 22.3 percent. The routes are in accordance with the projection, namely Belawan (North Sumatra), Batam (Riau Islands), Semarang (Central Java), Surabaya (East Java), and Baubau (Southeast Sulawesi)," said Andayani.

Pelni in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) provides free tickets with a total capacity of 9,250 people. Until today, only 68 percent have registered. This means that there are still 32 percent of empty slots that can still be used by the public.

The routes accommodated by Pelni, complete with the number of available seats can be checked through the Ministry of Transportation or Pelni website. In addition to the Ministry of Transportation, Pelni also provides free tickets with the Ministry of SOEs with a quota of 3,200 tickets.

There are still 32 percent of empty slots that can still be utilized by the public.

Similarly, Pelindo also held a free homecoming program with BUMN. For land routes, Pelindo accommodated 8,070 people transported by bus.

The sea route is supported by a ship with a total quota of 200 free homecoming travelers. The routes are Jakarta-Ambon (Maluku), Jakarta-Sorong (West Papua), and Manokwari (West Papua)-Biak (Papua).

In addition, Pelindo will also coordinate the accumulation of goods that occur at the port due to the restriction of truck operations for 16 days. This is stated in the Joint Decree (SKB) between the Ministry of Transportation, the Police, and the Ministry of Public Works.

"During the implementation of road traffic regulations during the homecoming and return flow of transportation for Eid 2025/1446 Hijriah, Pelindo is providing incentives to help make the policy a success," said Putut.

The incentives will be effective from March 24, 2025 to April 8, 2025. The incentives will be given in the form of a 50 percent discount on the service bill for stacking goods and filled containers. Additional provisions on tariffs for the Goods Release Approval Letter (SPPB) and Container Delivery Letter (SP2).

The policy applies only to goods and containers for inter-island unloading services. It also applies to imports or loading and unloading of goods from abroad to the port.

"Friends (drivers) approaching Eid, either D-5 or D+5 of Eid, they have reduced their delivery activities. So, if they have arrived because they cannot go out, we will give incentives," said Putut.